Afterhours: a children's playground
by Unholy Preacher
Summary: Dead or Alive/Genma Onimusha crossover. Ayane's present.


Disclaimer: All characters are the property of Tecmo and Capcom respectively.  
  
"Please don't leave Hayate."  
  
"Don't worry Ayane, I'll stay here with you tonight. I won't leave. Just go to sleep okay?"  
  
"Thank you."   
  
I closed my eyes as I snuggled closely to my half-brother. My back curled against him in a spoon position. His strong arms draped over me and rested across my stomach. I sighed as I felt his slow breathing on the nape of my neck. Somehow, that calmed my nerves a little. How did I get here you ask? It's not what you think.  
  
It all started on a sunny August afternoon. It was my birthday. I was alone in my apartment in Tokyo. I never really celebrated my birthday anymore. It was a painful reminder of what I was. When I was young, my mother and father would always say how much they loved me and how happy they were that I was a part of their lives. But I could see the pain in their eyes whenever they looked at me. I was a painful reminder of the hurt and humiliation that they went through.   
  
I was looking at our family picture. Mother and father were sitting in the front while my brother and sister were standing behind them smiling. They were all dressed in their finest traditional Japanese clothes. A picture of me was inserted on the frame. It wasn't their fault. I didn't want to have my picture taken with them that day, or any day for that matter.   
  
My thoughts were suddenly broken when a felt a slight gust of wind blow in through my apartment. I looked over the small balcony to see Hayate sitting on the ledge with a big smile on his face.   
  
"Happy birthday Ayane…"  
  
He said, the grin never leaving his face. He then stood up and walked to the glass door into my apartment.   
  
"I know you don't like birthday parties, so I decided that I would take you out to diner tonight…just the two of us."  
  
"Hayate, you don't have to. It's okay really. I never do anything on my birthdays. It has sort become my own little tradition."  
  
He feigned a small frown on his face, but I could still see that he was smiling underneath.  
  
"Nonsense, it's your birthday and I'm celebrating it. And you're going to celebrate with me whether you like it or not."  
  
He gave me one of his most charming smiles.  
  
"And besides, it's not often that I get to spend any time with my little sister."  
  
He then snaked his right hand from his back, which I didn't notice that he had hidden all that time.  
  
"Oh yes, and this is for you."  
  
In his hand was a small Japanese doll - a white porcelain face with strait black hair. She was wearing a red kimono with lovely floral designs on it, and the lime-green ribbon that tied it also had a flower motif. She had on red sandals.  
  
"Hayate, it's so pretty."  
  
"You like it? Its name is Ayame. I found it on Hayabusa's curio shop."  
  
I hugged my brother tightly and kissed him lightly on his lips. And staring into his eyes, I give him my most sincere smile.   
  
"I absolutely love it. Thank you, Hayate. You're the only one who truly cares about me."  
  
I knew he wanted to say that mother and father and even my half-sister cared about me too. But he held back. It was my birthday and he didn't want to disagree with me. He knows me like I know him, and I've always loved him for that.  
  
"Well, I'll be taking off now. I'll give you some time to prepare then I'll come back later to take you out."  
  
With that, he left out the balcony to a nearby tree that grew in the back of the building. That night, everything went perfectly. Hayate was always pretty, but that night he looked especially beautiful. We ate at an expensive restaurant. Then we went dancing for a little while. Afterwards, we went to a park and just walked - our hands intertwined. The other couples there could swear we were lovers rather than brother and sister. At the door to my apartment, I finally built up enough courage and suddenly kissed him full in the mouth. He didn't resist. It was my night after all. I traced a tongue to his lips and the perfect rows of his teeth. He opened his mouth for a bit. And as quickly as I felt the tip of his tongue, he pulled away.  
  
"Good night Ayane."  
  
Without malice.  
  
He turned and walked towards the elevators. He didn't look back. I didn't see his face. I didn't need to. He wasn't angry; he knew me. Just like I knew him.  
  
I opened the apartment door and went inside, slightly disappointed but undeniably happy. I went to my room and took off the black dress I had on so I could change into my nightgown. The doll Hayate gave me was lying on my bed, smiling that slight infinite smile that dolls have. I smiled back. After I slipped on a white nightie, I took Ayame and placed her on a table where I put my other stuffed dolls. I lied down on the bed and looked to my left to turn off my lamp. Beside the lamp was a small knife that I kept for protection. I switched off the lights and dozed off after a few minutes of thinking about the wonderful time I had with Hayate.   
  
I awoke in the middle of the night. I thought I heard noises. A burglar? I wondered. Quietly, I reached to my bedside table and felt for the knife in the darkness. Then unsheathing it, I got down from the bed and stalked carefully towards my bedroom door. Once I stepped out, I scanned the living room - my eyes slowly adjusting to the dark. There was no one there though, and I couldn't hear anything. After looking around a few more times, my fears began subsiding. I relaxed my weapon bearing hand for a second - that's when I felt it. A hand had reached out from behind me and grabbed the knife. The intruder then pressed the cold steel against my neck. Before a strategy could materialize in my head, I heard something very familiar.  
  
"Don't struggle."  
  
I knew that voice.  
  
"Hayate…"  
  
Upon hearing me say his name, Hayate dropped the weapon to the floor and wrapped his arms around me. His head was bent down on the back of my shoulder. I could feel his warm breathing trace the surface of my exposed skin. Subconsciously, I melted in his embrace. I forced myself to breathe.  
  
"Hayate, what are you doing here?"  
  
"I couldn't stop thinking about you."  
  
Silence.  
  
"Ever since that kiss earlier I…"  
  
He trailed off again.  
  
"I know its wrong Ayane, but I want you."  
  
My breathing became even more labored. I brought a hand up to his cheek and went up to caress his soft hair. He began trailing kisses on my shoulders and neck and then to my ear. His hands came up from my belly, and started kneading and squeezing my breast. My nipples instantly hardened as he slowly rolled them between his fingers and lightly pinch them through the thin fabric of my nightgown. I turned my head to my side and kissed him; this time, he accepted it fully. I lowered my other hand to my lavender colored panties. They were soaked; I was more excited than I thought. This was going to be my first time after all. Hayate, however, seemed to know what he was doing. I didn't care though, as long as that experience wasn't benefited from Kasumi. No, of course Hayate wouldn't do that. I mean, she's his sister for crying out loud. The again, I'm his sister as well. I suddenly realized that Hayate was no longer there.  
  
"Hayate…"  
  
I woke up screaming his name. It was only a dream; no a nightmare.  
  
Damn you Kasumi, you always spoil things even in my dreams.  
  
I reached for the lamp and turned the light on.   
  
"At least you won't get in the way between me and Hayate, Ayame."  
  
I looked over to where my dolls were, but to my surprise Ayame wasn't there. I looked over the room and saw the little Japanese doll on my dressing table - its black eyes smiling at me. I got off the bed and walked towards the dressing table. I thought for sure I put her in with my other dolls. Picking the doll up, I thought I felt it move as I went over to place it with the others. I put it at arms length to look at it. Her head was hung down with very little in way of support from the rest of her body.   
  
Suddenly her head looked up to me as if alive; a very animated smile began to form on her face. I dropped the doll out of surprise. I looked down to see it's porcelain face begin to crack. Her eyes hollowed out slightly as the lively black was replaced by a ghostly white. Sharp rows of teeth could be seen through the small opening of her mouth. And her smile turned into something hateful and malicious. I was too astounded to move, and before I could properly react out of fear, Ayame shot up towards me and painfully bit into the exposed flesh of my neck.   
  
Realizing she was draining me of blood and energy, I tried to pry her off of me. After I finally pulled her away, I could feel the blood trail down my shoulders and into my nightgown. I stumbled back to the other side of the bed, and in the process knocked the lamp over. I finally recovered my wits about and grabbed the knife on the bedside table. Her white eyes projected an eerie translucence that was still visible in the dark. It seemed to be floating in the air and slowly coming towards me. I threw the knife at it, but before it could reach her, three large blades protruded from each of her sleeves. She deflected the knife easily enough, and I was left there without a weapon.   
  
I quickly ran for the door and out of the apartment. I hurried towards the elevator and pressed down. It didn't open as fast as I had hoped for and I looked back to see Ayame slowly push open my apartment door. I decided to forget about the elevator and ran towards the stairs. I ran down as fast as I could. Thankfully it was only two floors down. Behind me I could hear a seemingly innocent child-like laughter along with the shriek of blades tracing down the hard surface of metal railings.  
  
I got to the lobby and started running towards the exit. The doors flew open as I rushed past them and into the cool night air. I didn't know where I was going; I just wanted to get as far away from that place as possible. I ran and ran until I had to stop to catch my breath. Looking around, I saw that I was in a children's playground. There was something unsettling about a place of innocence shrouded in the darkness of night. Soft shadows were cast all around me courtesy of the street lights in the distance.  
  
There was a sudden squeak of metal grinding metal. It resounded over and over. I looked about the playground and saw Ayame sitting on a swing - playing as if she were a little girl. Her features had returned to normal now. I stepped away from her slowly.  
  
"What are you?"  
  
No answer. Did I really expect one?  
  
Then, quite unexpectedly, laughter echoed all around me. The darkness gave way to a joyful light. Happiness permeated from the bright faces of the children. They were all over the playground, running and playing. I sat on a bench; watching over my daughter playing with the other children. Ayame. That's what his father and I chose to name her. She was so happy there, just playing. My daughter then looked at me and smiled that slight infinite smile of hers. She broke away from the group of children she played with and ran towards me - her laughter playing in my ears. We hugged each other for no real reason, it was perfect. I had always wanted this, a daughter born out of true love. It helped make me forget about the sins of the past. I wish her father could be here to join us. I opened my eyes and looked at the corner. There he was, waving at us; a smile on his beautiful face. Hayate, darling, over here. He came running towards us.   
  
The light eroded. Only darkness remained again. The playground was empty.   
  
Hayate had just pulled Ayame away from me; and now she was gone. I looked up to see my brother standing over me, a look of concern in his face.  
  
"Are you alright Ayane?"  
  
"Yes I think so. What happened?"  
  
"Ayame had tried to drain you of your energy."  
  
"Ayame…"  
  
"Yes, Ryu called me in the middle of the night. He found an ancient text in his storage room explaining what Ayame was - a doll possessed by a demon. I came here as fast as I could."  
  
I looked down, letting the information sink in.  
  
"I'm sorry Ayane. It was my fault. I shouldn't have given it to you."  
  
"It's alright Hayate, you didn't know."  
  
The upper portion of my white nightgown had been covered by blood. Hayate took off his long black leather jacket and covered my exposed body.  
  
"I'll take you home to your apartment."  
  
"No Hayate, she's still out there. Please, let me stay at your place?"  
  
We walked the distance to his apartment building, looking behind us from time to time. When we arrived at his place, he carefully cleaned my wounds and bandaged them up. I took off my soiled nightgown and wore one of his shirts. Hayate's shirt smelled wonderful - almost as good as being held tightly in his arms. He lied down next to me and put his arms across my smaller frame.  
  
"We'll go to Hayabusa's next morning and find out more about this. In the mean time get some sleep. I'll be sleeping in the sofa if you need me."  
  
Hearing this, I held his hands tightly with my own - making it clear to him that I wouldn't let him go.  
  
"Please don't leave Hayate."  
  
"Don't worry Ayane, I'll stay here with you tonight. I won't leave. Just go to sleep okay?"  
  
"Thank you."  
  
author's note: Feedback. Need Feedback.  
  
Flames, reviews, constructive criticisms and suggestions are all welcomed. 


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